PPC Marketing Agency | Search Marketing Firm | Adwords Certified Consultanthttp://www.afterclicks.com
SEO Marketing FirmWed, 16 Jan 2019 15:55:30 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.3http://www.afterclicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/cropped-site-icon-32x32.gifPPC Marketing Agency | Search Marketing Firm | Adwords Certified Consultanthttp://www.afterclicks.com
3232What Every Startup Needs to Know Before They Select a PPC Marketing Agencyhttp://www.afterclicks.com/what-every-startup-needs-to-know-before-choosing-a-digital-agency
http://www.afterclicks.com/what-every-startup-needs-to-know-before-choosing-a-digital-agency#respondTue, 15 Jan 2019 09:00:24 +0000http://www.afterclicks.com/?p=814read more →]]>As someone who has been fortunate enough to be a part both the Startup and Digital AgencyWorld, it pains me to witness the many recurring mistakes that are happening by bringing these two worlds together. The Agency wants the business and the Startup wants the best and smartest people to “grow their baby”. It all sounds like a “no-brainer’ right? Well, this perfect situation can sometimes be clouded by one of the most bastardized words in the client-agency relationship – Expectations. In this post, I will highlight some of the misconceptions that could, at the very least, help the next Startup as they prepare to show their product/service to the world.

How to Play the Digital Agency Game:

Don’t get me wrong. There are many highly reputable Marketing Agencies in the world that do not fit this description.On the other hand, there are some other Agencies that work on a different playing field that is not financially supportive of Startups. Most agencies take a 15% commission of Ad Spend regardless of performance or the companies financial situation. These agencies often provide a “Production Line” level level of service that question the actual time spend which leads to the overall client performance. Beware of agencies that promise GOLD and deliver pennies.

What Startups really need from an Agency:

100% transparency of where and how their money is being spent.

Daily Direct communication with the Strategist/Marketer.

Less than 24 hour turn-around times for typical updates.

Level of ongoing Education on how the digital advertising world works.

Big Agency Regurgitation

I have witnessed many horror stories over the years from prospects/clients from either a performance or client relationship with a previous agency. The one thing that all of them had in common was the lack of achievable expectations. Situations such as poor communication, lackluster performance and just an overall bad experience have not only left a bitter taste in their mouth but also question the entire agency experience. Moreover, this feeling of being “burned” has motivated their thinking to bring the marketing “in-house” as the only alternative to reaching success. This is not a good thing….

Conference Intoxication

As a big fan of conferences, they often open your eyes to a whole new world of innovation, prosperity and vision for business owners and that’s a great thing. However, it can sometimes backfire to the point of confusion and anxiety of what to focus on first. It is very easy for Entrepreneurs to get “over-excited” about the latest bells and whistles in software, automation and analytics. They are told that once they have these tools in their toolbox, they can turn their business into a fortune 100 company instantly.

Unfortunately, a reality check is needed to bring everyone down from this “high” and re-focus on the core issue at hand which is identifying, engaging and converting with their core audiences within a sensible budget. Remember, investing in Shiny Objects make you vulnerable, not successful.

The Misunderstanding of Monetization

In some instances, both advertisers and agencies, often forget to track every interaction point and that little oversight can be an unfortunate mistake. This assumed “low-hanging” fruit for tracking things other than traditional eCommerce/Lead Gen Forms such as (below) can completely skew overall performance and future optimization which could be devastating to startups as they hunger for continual growth.

Contact Forms

Email Newsletter Signups

Live Chats

Phone Calls

Pageviews of a particular page can lead to

Mistrust of the Case Study

Case Studies are a great source for understanding the successes of a particular experience that allow the reader to adapt to new ideas and strategies. However, you need to be careful not put to put too much emphasis on the successes of these studies because of the substantiated factors which often lead inaccuracy. Here are some examples:

Geography (Some of these studies reference a specific GEO area and not the wider population)

Singular view and opinion. Often, these studies are done by a small group of people which may have biased opinions based on data collected.

Case Studies are often used as a “Toot your own horn” strategy to generate more business. (Google is pretty good at that)

Don’t Bet the Farm

I can understand the anxieties of Startups where they want to launch their business with a big bang. However, spending too much too fast (especially in the PPC marketing world) can completely ruin their chances for steady sustainable growth. It’s imperative to start testing “right out of the gate” as well as identifying the quick wins and losses. Moreover, you will need to develop strategies to generate relevent traffic and awareness through alternative methods such as Social Media, SEO and quite frankly “word of mouth”. To prove this theory, just a take a look at these screenshots from SpyFu’s Monthly Trend function.

Outside Opinion Overload

Yes, it’s important to get as much feedback as possible when launching a new company. However, getting advice from people who think they know certain aspects of online marketing because they read an article or attended a conference, can be a slippery slope. Taking advice and/or criticism from someone “on the outside” that completely contradicts the vision of both your business partners and hired experts can be harmful to the business. This 3rd party opinion is often made without any understanding of what it takes to implement as well as its expected outcome. Whether it’s strategies about Landing Pages, Brand vs. Non-Brand, or even simple things such as Promotions and Offers can have a negative effect on revenue if not discussed by everyone on the team.

Solution: Soak up all of the feedback you can get, discuss with your team and agree to label these new ideas as “TEST” Campaigns and analyze the heck out of them.

Forecast Projection Failures

How many times have you seen someone simply create excel formulas which magically forecast the future of online marketing revenue based on a single monetary amount. (For example, if we increase our budget from $10,000 to $100,000 we will generate an additional $1 million dollars.) Yeah, I wish that were all true. However, that is not the case. The math may sound great to a Venture Capitalist/Investor, but it’s just not realistic.

Take in account the following scenarios:

Market Saturation Levels

Seasonality Highs/Lows

Potential Technical issues

Search Engine Algorithm changes

Increased Competitor landscape

“Off the Mark” Target Audiences

Hate to say this, but I have witnessed startup companies that thought they new their audiences and it wasn’t until they over-spent their PPC dollars and countless Landing Page A/B test to come to that realization. Selling a product or service requires more than just a few hours of typical market research. When it comes to online marketing, either hire a PPC Consultant or purchase PPC Competitive Research Software such as SpyFu.com to see some of these invaluable competitor information:

Monthly Budget Trends

PPC and SEO Keywords

Top Text Ads

Their own PPC and SEO Competitors

Review monthly and seasonality trends

Compare up to (3) three competitors and see which terms they are all bidding on.

Here’s an example:

In Conclusion

Whether you are building a Startup company or growing an existing one, the agency experience should be a positive one. However, dealing with the “dog eat dog” agency world when it comes to trust, expectations and continual growth is unfortunate and should never happen. I hope this blog post, at the very least, has provided some insight into preventing these situations as well as learning from them. Finding the right agency partner is just as important as finding the right target audience.

]]>http://www.afterclicks.com/what-every-startup-needs-to-know-before-choosing-a-digital-agency/feed0Why Startups Need Diversification In Their Online Marketing Strategyhttp://www.afterclicks.com/why-startups-need-diversification-in-their-online-marketing-strategy
http://www.afterclicks.com/why-startups-need-diversification-in-their-online-marketing-strategy#respondFri, 15 Jul 2016 18:30:16 +0000http://www.afterclicks.com/?p=954read more →]]>Have you ever heard this one? A Financial Planner and PPC Marketer walk into a bar… Probably not. However, the strategy that they would advise their clients on would be quite similar. If there was (1) one piece of advice I would give Startups (especially Early Stage), it would be diversification… and a lot of it. Startups typically have very limited advertising budgets so they have to account for every penny they spend. In this article, I will explain the reasons for this diversification as well as how best to execute them on a limited budget.

Setting Realistic Expectations:

As one of the most “bastardized” words in agency world, it’s imperative to keep everyone’s hopes and dreams in check with regard to the online marketplace. Attending conferences, reading case studies and talking with other business owners is not only a great idea, it’s encouraged. however, it can also “set off” false expectations that could be devastating to the overall goals and objectives. I have advised clients (both past and present) to NEVER trust Google with their campaigns, keywords and budgets because they don’t care about growing your business, they just want your money. Bottom line: If it sounds too good to be true, your instincts are correct!

Separation of Brand vs. Non-Brand:

It’s simple math. It costs more money to reach consumers who DO NOTalready know your brand. Over time, the brand takes “all of the credit” because that is how everyone searches for you. But, here’s the catch. Getting to that phase in consumer behavior can be difficult to achieve, especially on the wallet. Here are a couple strategies that can not only help the wallet, but also the align the expectations.

Leverage Google Display, Mobile and YouTube Video networks

Low cost ($0.10 – $1.00 CPC/CPV).

More continuous visibility.

Expectations are set to branding only.

Utilize micro-targeting of Social media for specific audience testing

Target specific audience segments within a short period of time.

High volume allows for multi-variate ad testing.

Conversion tracking pixels allow for full analytics reporting.

Monetize Everything Under the Sun

This may sound like a “no-brainer” to some of you, but startups tend to forget that measuring success is more than just placing an order or a form submission. Often, little things like email signups, chat sessions and phone calls eventually lead to “real” conversions later on in the buying cycle. It’s important for everyone involved to consider these little conversions in the overall big picture. In some instances, these interactions act as a barometer when something is wrong or unclear and can help improve usability within the website experience.

In Conclusion:

Startups are faced with tough decisions when it comes to advertising due to their limited Ad budgets. They also cannot afford to, “bet the farm” on something that they heard at a conference or read in a case study. In 2016, consumers are everywhere (Google Search, Facebook Ads. YouTube. Twitter Ads, etc…) and startups need to leverage all of the platforms to maximize their exposure. They also need to understand that certain ad platforms serve different purposes as well as perform better than others.

]]>http://www.afterclicks.com/why-startups-need-diversification-in-their-online-marketing-strategy/feed0Why Google Grants Needs To Focus on Mobile Networkshttp://www.afterclicks.com/why-google-grants-needs-to-focus-on-mobile-networks
http://www.afterclicks.com/why-google-grants-needs-to-focus-on-mobile-networks#respondTue, 12 Jul 2016 17:05:20 +0000http://www.afterclicks.com/?p=940read more →]]>Don’t get me wrong, Google Grants is an amazing “in-kind” gift for those qualified 501(c)(3) Nonprofits (especially for those who are utilizing it efficiently). However, times have changed since it’s inception in 2003 and considering the multi-device environment that we live in, Google should consider adapting their Mobile Network as a viable option for Google Grantees.Maybe call it (GrantsMobile)?

In this post, I will discuss the reasons why Google should revamp their Grants program to be more mobile app friendly.

Nonprofits have been “Going Mobile” for a while

The idea that Nonprofits have become “less savvy” as compared to “For-Profit” organizations is simply not true. Even though nonprofits may not have the big advertising budgets as do for-profit companies, they are savvy enough to “fish where the fish are” in trying to increase awareness, volunteerism and most importantly fundraising. In a Capterra Nonprofit Technology Blog article published back in 2014 entitled “The Essential Guide to Going Mobile for Nonprofits“, author Leah Readings talks about the importance for Nonprofits to be more mobile because it creates a wider range of communication between the organization and its members. Readings also states “Allowing for online donation pages or portals, or donation apps, makes it much easier for your members to donate—when all they have to do is click a few buttons in order to make a donation, giving becomes easier, and in turn will encourage more people to give.“

Need more convincing? In a 2013 article from InternetRetailer.com entitled “Mobile donations triple in 2012” (which was also mentioned in the Capterra article) the author goes on to quote from a fundraising technology and services provider Frontstream(formerly Artez Interactive) which states “nonprofits that offer mobile web sites, apps or both for taking donations generate up to 123% more individual donations per campaign than organizations that don’t.“

Why Google Mobile is Ripe for Nonprofits:

If you have ever done any mobile advertising within Google Adwords (formerly AdMob), you know that the system is pretty robust and is considered one of the best platforms to promote Apps on both Google Play and the iTunes store. Moreover, advertisers can easily track engagements and downloads back to their specific audience that they are targeting. The costs are also much more affordable than traditional $1-2 CPC offered to Google Grants accounts which can only run on Google.com.

Here are the Mobile App Promotion Campaigns by Google Adwords:

Universal App Campaigns:

AdWords create ads for your Android app in a variety of auto-generated formats to show across the Search, Display and YouTube Networks.

Ads are generated for you based on creative text you enter, as well as your app details in the Play Store (e.g. your icon and images). These ads can appear on all available networks

Add an optional YouTube video link for your ads to show on YouTube as well.

Mobile app engagement

Re-engage your existing users with ads that deep link to specific screens within your mobile app. Mobile app engagement campaigns are a great choice if you’re focused on finding folks interested in your app content, getting people who have installed your app to try your app again, or to open your app and take a specific action. These types of ads allow flexibility for counting conversions, bidding and targeting.

Available for Search Network and Display Network campaigns

Ad formats include standard and image app engagement ads

In Conclusion:

A lot has changed since 2003 with the birth of Google Grants and Google needs to continue to be socially responsible and catch up to their own standards of the online world that they helped create. Nonprofits are now, more than ever, relying on the internet to drive awareness, volunteerism and fundraising. For Nonprofits, as well as everyone else for that matter, are getting their information from Facebook, Twitter, TV, Radio and (still Google) using laptops, tablets and mobile devices and it’s time for Google Grants to adapt to this new world.

]]>http://www.afterclicks.com/why-google-grants-needs-to-focus-on-mobile-networks/feed0Why Online Marketers Need to Embrace Storytellinghttp://www.afterclicks.com/why-online-marketers-need-to-embrace-storytelling
http://www.afterclicks.com/why-online-marketers-need-to-embrace-storytelling#respondTue, 24 May 2016 14:48:42 +0000http://www.afterclicks.com/?p=901read more →]]>As Marketers, we sometimes forget that most people simply do not understand the “in the weeds” metrics that we deal with everyday. Our job is to decode this data and plug them into sales projections, future strategies and testing. However, this standard metric decoding is not enough and we need to find a better way to communicate successes and failures that the client can understand. That is why the idea is telling a story is just as important now than it was when we are in Kindergarten and the teacher read us a story in a circle. In this post, I will highlight the importance of storytelling with the client which not only helps the client understand, but also reinforces the client-agency relationship.

Storytelling is also a Science

As marketers, early on we are classically trained to become proficient in Excel, Powerpoint and (my personal favorite) writing on whiteboards so that we can be perceived as smartest one in the room. These elements of communication comprise of bullet points, summarizations, goals and objectives, sales vs. cost projections, etc… On the contrary, we are most likely doing it all wrong. There have been many studies and published articles that debunk this MBA/classroom method and reinforce the one of oldest and most fundamental communication methods.

In an very “eye-opening” article by Lifehacker.com published back in 2012 entitled “The Science of Storytelling: Why Telling a Story is the Most Powerful Way to Activate Our Brains“, author Leo Widrich states “It’s in fact quite simple. If we listen to a powerpoint presentation with boring bullet points, a certain part in the brain gets activated. Scientists call this Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area. Overall, it hits our language processing parts in the brain, where we decode words into meaning. And that’s it, nothing else happens. When we are being told a story, things change dramatically. Not only are the language processing parts in our brain activated, but any other area in our brain that we would use when experiencing the events of the story are too.“ So in essence, telling stories not only puts our entire brain to work it also allows the storyteller to put ideas and thoughts into the listeners brain as well.

Managing the Complexities of Online Marketing with Storytelling

For most clients, they do not care too much about CTR%, AVG positions, bounce rates, etc… they want to know what is causing their cash register to ring below are some of the common questions they are mostly concerned about:

What’s working and why?

Whats not working and why?

Why are sales down this month as compared to last month?

How can we generate more sales without increasing the budget, etc…

Because of this difference in understanding success metrics, marketers need to take all of the Analytics data (which are considered very complex by clients) and transform them into a story/language that they can understand. For example, lets suppose that the client saw a 50% increase in sales coming from their “Brand Terms” in Adwords as compared to the previous month. Instead of just providing them with increased performance metrics such as CTR%, Conversion rates, etc.., marketers need to do a little digging around and form a story that they can understand.

A story would be something like:

“Well, since we added more generalized “non-branded” terms as well as your interview on the local TV station, a larger audience of people who were not familiar with your brand before, typed your brand into Google and clicked on the PPC Text Ads. ” It is this type of success story that can create that “light bulb” in the heads of the client to ensure them that they are prospering their investment in you or your agency.”

Leveraging Web Analytics Data to Feed the Story

Just looking at common performance data is simply not enough to tell a story. Marketers need to look at various layers of data to comprise a story that can makes sense to the client. Identifying these interesting and important metrics such as hour of day, day of the week. GEO by state, metro area, city, direct/bookmark, conversion funnels, etc… These are examples of the metrics, combined with overall performance data is what makes up the holistic story that the client needs to hear. Moreover, these stories often lead to future optimization strategies and testing which is great for the client-agency relationship.

In Conclusion:

Trying to explain all of the intricate metrics and what they mean to a client is hard enough. But simplifying the data and creating a story around it, even as an “ice-breaker” at the beginning of the conversation, helps the client feel like they made the right choice in hiring you. The one thing we need to remember is that a story, if broken down into the simplest form, is a connection of cause and effect and that is what clients need to understand.

]]>http://www.afterclicks.com/why-online-marketers-need-to-embrace-storytelling/feed0Helping Startups Succeed When VC Funding Slows Downhttp://www.afterclicks.com/helping-startups-succeed-when-vc-funding-slows-down
http://www.afterclicks.com/helping-startups-succeed-when-vc-funding-slows-down#respondMon, 23 May 2016 18:16:14 +0000http://www.afterclicks.com/?p=878read more →]]>It’s becoming quite apparent that the Startup world is experiencing a slowdown and there appears to be no quick-end in site, unless you scrap everything your doing and start over. According to many articles from very reputable news sites around the web, the common issue at hand is the lack of funding coming from Venture Capital Firms. In addition, due to this shift in funding, Startups are now forced to change their thinking on how to grow their business on a shoe-string budget. In this post, I will discuss the importance of hiring a digital marketing firm that can not only get their business off the ground, but also do it without relying on the stress of getting additional funding to keep the doors open for another month.

Why is Venture Capital Slowing Down?

Across the major news sites and tech blogs, there has been a slew of articles discussing the apparent slowdown of Venture Capital funding across the globe (not just in the USA). According to the Forbes article entitled Tech CEO Shares Difficulties of Raising Venture Capital in a Down Market, the authors Samantha Walravens & Heather Cabot of GeekGirlRising stated “According to a recently released report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association, funding in Silicon Valley startups fell 19.5% in the first quarter of 2016 compared to a year earlier, and is down 10% for seed stage companies in the first quarter 2016, amidst fears over the global economy and the run-up in startups’ valuations.”

To reinforce this trend, another article from Bloomberg.com, entitled “Is There a Slowdown in Venture Capital?” Phil Libin goes on to say that the reason for the pause and/or decline in Venture Capital funding is due to the current lack of interest of those “Me Too Businesses” that once thrived with the evolution of smartphones and social media. However, he does go on to say that right now is a great time for startups that can offer something new and original. See the video below for the interview (courtesy of Blooomberg.com)

Is Online Finally Catching up to Traditional Media?

In another yet predictable twist, it appears Social Media has finally started to crack that old TV Advertising Egg and is creeping its way deeper into the annual $70+ Billion Dollar TV Ad Budget. According to the AdAge.com article “TV Budgets Shifting to Social? Yes, It’s Time to Worry” authorDebra Aho Williamson states “… eMarketer believes the conversation about social and TV will change. For buyers who want the best way to reach their audience, the growing video businesses of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat now present a viable alternative to TV.”

Williamson also goes on to say that even though this shift sounds monumental, the actual amount of Ad dollars from TV to social is very small. On the other hand, she believes that this trend can very easily become a real “game changer” in the near future. So, with the potential of more advertising dollars making their way to the online marketing world, Startups are going to have to rely more on Digital Agencies to promote their product/service.

Getting Big Agency Results on a Shoe-String Budget

Since VCs and Investors are only interested in funding companies that offer something new, exciting and most importantly different, what does that mean for those “me too businesses”? Due to this natural shift in the business ecosystem, Startups need to find a more affordable way to launch their “baby” to the world without going bankrupt in the process. To help with this scenario, startups need to find a reliable Digital Agency that can jump right in and “move the needle”. This agency would need to provide guidance and help build the foundation needed to compete in this highly competitive online space. Here’s a recent article entitled “What Every Startup Needs to Know Before Choosing a Digital Agency” which can help highlight other services that Startups can benefit from.

Here is a brief outline of the services that startups need to remain competitive

In Conclusion:

Many Startups, especially Early-Stage Startups, operate on very small Ad budgets and are often second guessing themselves on where they can get the “best bang for their buck” with regard to online advertising. Based on the trends mentioned in this article about the decline in VC funding Social media getting more of the overall Ad budgets, it’s pretty clear that Startups need to focus on finding an affordable digital agency that treats them like a partner and not another typical client.

]]>http://www.afterclicks.com/helping-startups-succeed-when-vc-funding-slows-down/feed05 Tips To Maximize Your Next Facebook Ads Strategyhttp://www.afterclicks.com/5-tips-to-maximize-your-facebook-ads-strategy
http://www.afterclicks.com/5-tips-to-maximize-your-facebook-ads-strategy#respondThu, 19 May 2016 15:48:11 +0000http://www.afterclicks.com/?p=855read more →]]>Since its inception back in 2007, Facebook Ads has changed the way companies approach their online advertising strategies. Early on, many advertisers have tried and failed with Facebook Ads NOT because they were targeting the wrong audience, but because they did not fully understand the dynamics of this (non-search like) Ad platform. The confusion (still today) is due to the enormous traffic volume of users (which many of them disclosed their likes, interests, age, sex, race, political views, education, marital status, household income, etc…) that are skewing the overall performance which forces many advertisers into believing that Facebook is a scam. In this post, I will try to reinforce the notion that Facebook Ads can be successful for advertisers if they approach their strategies on a more micro-targeted level.

Over the years, marketers (like myself) started to change the methodologies of campaign structures just like we did with Google to obtain a good Quality Score. In March of 2014, Facebook rolled out a bunch of new features which seemed to model that of Google Adwords. Some of these updates included:

Even before the adoption of Ad Sets, marketers started to realize that in order to “offset” the huge traffic volume and identify what was working and not working, they needed restructure everything at a Micro-level. This strategy of creating individual campaigns for each specific interest is what empowered many to re-think their expectations of what Facebook could do for them.

Below is a quick example of a standard Facebook Ads campaign that focuses on one specific audience. As you can see, we are focusing on Green Tea only(not Tea Drinkers in general). We are also segmenting Women-only as well as different Age Ranges which allows for a more granular understanding of interest and interaction.

#1 Why Micro-Targeting Works

In order to get the most out of your Ad dollars as well as identify winners and losers, micro-targeting is a must for every advertiser. Yes, it’s a lot of work and yes it requires many hours to set it up correctly. However, not investing in this time could cost you even more later down the line because all of the work that was done, can be utilized again in the future with little to no effort to update.

#2 Facebook Ads Creates Storytelling

Wouldn’t it be a great story to tell your CEO or client (Tea Company) that the majority of the FB conversions came from Single Women, 35-40, who live in Baltimore MD, and enjoy Pilates and Yoga. That specific piece of information was made possible by the micro-targeting created in Facebook Ads and quite possibly created a whole new level of both online and offline marketing strategies for years to come.

#3 Geo-Targeting Matters:

As mentioned in the storytelling example above, geography is a huge proponent of micro-targeting because of the different social behaviors that surround us. For example, advertisers that are interested in reaching a younger audience (25-35) that enjoy nightclubs and dancing, would be more likely to choose to target their ads in USA cities such as NYC, Miami, Las Vegas, LA, and Chicago instead of other locations that are not as likely to be interested.

#4 The Power of Indirect Targeting:

Lets assume that avid Tea Drinkers are also more likely to be fans of the Food Network and other TV cooking shows. With Facebook Ads, we have the ability to create individual campaigns targeting not only the Food Network, but also specific shows such as Man vs. Food, Barefoot Contessa and others… The fact that we can create TEST campaigns to see if those “in-direct” yet similar audiences could convert is a game-changer in all aspects of marketing.

#5 Why Timing Matters:

We are constantly being bombarded by news everyday coming from TV, radio and the internet. However, the one thing that is NOT constant is the “shelf-life” of the news story and that is where Facebook Ads (including all Social Media) provides a unique advantage for advertisers. For example, lets say the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) comes out with a study that says people who drink 2-3 cups of Green Tea everyday have a better chance to fight the symptoms of the common cold. This report obviously not only shines a positive light on the Tea Industry but it’s also fresh in everyone’s mind and when they see an ad for Green Tea in their Facebook Feed, they are likely to remember that news story about the health benefits and are more inclined to make an impulse buy.

In Conclusion:

Truth be told, Facebook Ads may not be a fit for everyone. While certain industries may thrive on having a social-friendly presence, many others will not find their target audience in that social environment. However, I implore that all advertisers/marketers to keep an open-mind when looking at Facebook Ads because there is more strategy potential than you think. In my opinion, FB Ads has become more a testing ground than a standard vehicle for website traffic. Facebook Ads may not be a GEM for everyone, but with an open-mind it could be a diamond in the rough.

]]>http://www.afterclicks.com/5-tips-to-maximize-your-facebook-ads-strategy/feed0How Social Advertising is Reinventing Our Display Marketing Strategieshttp://www.afterclicks.com/how-social-advertising-is-reinventing-our-display-marketing-strategies
http://www.afterclicks.com/how-social-advertising-is-reinventing-our-display-marketing-strategies#respondTue, 17 May 2016 16:17:25 +0000http://www.afterclicks.com/?p=841read more →]]>In today’s world, there is rarely a PPC Marketing Strategy that does not include or even toy with the notion of creating either a Facebook Ads or Twitter Ads campaign(s) at some point in the strategy life-cycle. Because of this, marketers are developing and testing different audience segments based on interests, household income, marital status, exercise habits, etc… Frankly, it has changed the landscape of online marketing as we know it. In this post, I will talk about the importance of leveraging the targeting abilities within Facebook Ads and how it can benefit your next Google display campaign.

Facebook Ad’s Demographic Targeting Abilities

The targeting abilities in both Google Display and Facebook Ads are similar with regard to Demographics and Topics/Placement. However, truth be told, Facebook is just far more superior to marketers based on their the deeper targeting options and more precise segmentation abilities. So without further ado, lets talk about the similarities and how marketers can harness what they have learned from Facebook and apply to Google.

As you can see from the screenshot below ↓, Google Display provides similar demographic targeting options as compared to Facebook. They allow marketers to choose Genders, Ages and even Parental Status. However, there is one major “elephant in the room” here that skews all of this and that is the dreadful UNKNOWN that we see in all of our data reports. These unknowns are basically people that Google can not identify to be associated with any or all of the targeted options selected. (In Facebook, they have the same problem). The common issue is that not all people want to disclose their information to the platforms, hence making it more of a “ballpark” than a “hole in one”

The Fuzziness with Google Topics Targeting

In Google Display, we have the ability to select specific topics and/or placements where we want to advertise our display banners and text ads. In the screenshot below ↓, I have provided a small example of how we can target the topic(s) of Coffee & Tea. But here’s the catch. In Google, we have an INTENT problem with our ability to choose specific audiences based on these very generalized topics. Meaning, the Coffee and Tea audience found in Google could be anything from Coffee Market Financials to the Health Benefits of Green Tea, but NOT specifically the Coffee and Tea drinkers. It is this little dilemma that forces marketers to add another layer of targeting to try and “hone in” on their preferred audience. That extra layer is called Placement targeting, but there are some extra steps that are needed to get the most out of it.

Extra Effort needed with Google Placement Targeting

Placement Targeting is the closest thing to to Facebook Ads in terms of reaching specific brands or interests that possess a higher level of intent to make a purchase. However, there are some common issues with placement targeting that marketers need to know before they start spending their ad dollars.

The partnering websites in this network are common Adsense customers. They can vary from being very authoritative and prominent like (CNN, Nytimes, etc..) all the way to suspicious arbitrage sites where all they do is drive up impressions and cost (yes, they still exist)

Marketers are often missing out on potential site partners because Google’s own search engine is not up to date on listing all of them (meaning, there are great sites that are a part of the Adsense network that are not listed in their directory). This hiccup forces marketers to do their own research to find those sites and they need to be added manually.

In Conclusion:

The targeting abilities within Facebook Ads have become an absolute “game changer” in the PPC marketing world. It has made such an impact that it’s starting to question Google’s own targeting abilities within the display network. The FBA platform allows advertisers to reach those avid Coffee and Tea drinkers by targeting everything from certain Brands, Flavors, Keurig Cups, Brewing types, etc… However, simply eliminating Display from their strategy is not a wise choice, considering the missed opportunities in reaching that additional audience. If there is one take-away from this article, it is to take what they have learned from Facebook Ads and apply them to their display campaigns.

]]>http://www.afterclicks.com/how-social-advertising-is-reinventing-our-display-marketing-strategies/feed0It’s Time for Facebook to Become the Google Grants of Social Mediahttp://www.afterclicks.com/its-time-for-facebook-to-become-the-google-grants-of-social-media
http://www.afterclicks.com/its-time-for-facebook-to-become-the-google-grants-of-social-media#respondFri, 06 May 2016 14:42:57 +0000http://www.afterclicks.com/?p=800Whenever I speak to Nonprofits (which is something I love to do), I always evangelize the importance of leveraging all of the online technology companies which offer “in-kind” services, especially… read more →]]>

Whenever I speak to Nonprofits (which is something I love to do), I always evangelize the importance of leveraging all of the online technology companies which offer “in-kind” services, especially Google Grants. However, for marketers in today’s world, Google Grants is simply not enough. Identifying with potential donors, volunteers and simple awareness has evolved way beyond the search engines and into our Facebook and Twitter feeds as we all crave instant news, gossip and basic information. In this post, I will discuss not only the steps that have already been taken by Facebook, but also how much more they need to do to fulfill their obligation to assist those organizations in need.

What Facebook needs to Learn from Google

In the early months of 2002, Google relaunched its AdWords platform with a new cost-per-click (CPC) pricing model that made it increasingly more popular and successful with both large and smaller companies. It was this achievement that opened the eyes of both the Google founders and other Google executives, to provide the same opportunity for Nonprofits by giving them free ads on Google.com. In essence, they believed that the Adwords platform would enable non-profits too reach a much larger audience and connect with the people who were searching for information about their specific cause or programs. As you will see below, it has grown by leaps and bounds….

Why Facebook Doesn’t Understand the Opportunity

After seeing the success of Google grants for the past 13 years, you would think Facebook would have a Nonprofit plan already in place to offer Free advertising to Nonprofits. However, it appears that even though they have made attempts to achieve this, it was simply not enough. According to the great article by AdWeek entitled: “Nonprofits Rely Heavily on Social Media to Raise Awareness“, author Kimberlee Morrison mentions that the social media presence is growing significantly for nonprofits. She goes on to say: “The report shows an increase of 29 percent in Facebook fans across all verticals and a 25 percent increase in Twitter followers. What’s more, there are big increases in sharing and likes from sources outside the follower base, so it would be wise for nonprofits to play to that strength on social sites if their aim is attracting a wider user base.”

How Facebook Failed in its First Attempt

Back on November 15, 2015, The Nonprofit Times published an interesting article entitled “$2 Million In Facebook Ads Going To Nonprofits” in which Facebook announced in partnership with ActionSprout, that they will distribute $2 million in Facebook Ads credits during the holiday season. These Facebook Ads credits (up to $1,500 each) will be given out to roughly two-thousand nonprofits. According to author Andy Segedin, he states that “…according Drew Bernard, CEO and co-founder. Organizations will receive credit allotments of $600, $900, $1,200 or $1,500 that will be granted from December through February. All applicants will be set up with a free ActionSprout account, Bernard said.“

The article goes on to say: “Bernard hopes that the credit giveaway will help organizations post more and better content on Facebook. The company plans to publish key findings based off of the distribution and use of the credits, but will not move forward with any follow-up efforts until information is gathered. “This is a test to see what we can learn, and with what we learn we’ll all go back to the drawing board and see if there’s something we should do next with this”.

If you are interested in hearing more about the “key findings” of this test, your going to have to wait a little while and also give them your email address. (Not very Philanthropic)

In Conclusion:

If you can tell by my tone, I am somewhat disappointed by Facebook’s lack of initiative with their efforts to help Nonprofits. In my opinion, they offer a much stronger platform than Google Adwords based on their “intense” targeting as well as their “ripe and persuasive audience”. I am also quite shocked that they could not follow in the footsteps of Google’s 13 years of supporting Nonprofits with their Google Grants Programs. To end insultr to injury, I am also dumbfounded that they not only had to partner with another company but also label their efforts as a test to limited number of Nonprofits for just a couple month. What’s the point of a test, when you know Nonprofits could only benefit from the Free Advertising.

You almost get the sense that this was for the benefit for everyone else, except for the Nonprofit which needs it the most.

In 2015, the movie industry reported a record setting $11 + billion in world-wide ticket sales. According to the Fool.com article entitled A 2016 Outlook for the Movie Theater Industry, The U.S. theater industry is controlled by three main companies Cinemark Holdings , Regal Entertainment and AMC Entertainment. However, in the PPC Marketing world, which can sometimes act as a “barometer” of company marketing vision, only one of these industry titans is starting to learn toward paid search on its own accord. Can you guess which one?

AMC Goes all-GEO in their PPC Keyword Strategy:

The data shows that AMC has been spending a majority of their PPC dollars on GEO-centric keywords within the past couple months. This could, in effect, be in effort to boost awareness in these specific regions, especially when we see Zip Codes as part of the keyword strategy. However, this strategy could be in direct competition with Fandango which basically controls the entire Search Marketing landscape? Well, lets just say there more to the story….

How did Fandango dominate the Online Movie Ticketing space?

In a very interesting article back in 2012 from TheWrap.com entitled, How Fandango Won the Online Movie Ticketing War, it talks about how Fandango convinced AMC to leave a competitor and the rest is history. According to the article: “Fandango managed to convince the country’s second largest theater chain to jump ship from MovieTickets.com, adding 3,000 more screens to its rolls. Making the defection particularly painful is the fact that AMC was one of the companies that founded MovieTickets.com in 2000 and remains a part owner. Then, in short order, Fandango announced it has partnered with three former MovieTickets.com cohorts, AOL Moviefone, Yahoo! Movies and MSN Entertainment, to sell tickets, putting it substantially ahead in the battle to establish a foothold on the major portals.”

Who’s Dominating in PPC Today?

According to the graph below, Fandango has been controlling a majority of the PPC Marketing space (yet notice the roller coaster effect in seasonality), but as mentioned before, AMC is starting to get more involved. However, I am a little surprised by the lack of effort by Movietickets.com as well as Cinemark and Regal which have no presence at all in the PPC Landscape.

In conclusion

The “Soap Opera-like” story of how Fandango convinced AMC to leave MovieTickets.com to become the largest online movie ticketing company is interesting. However, my biggest take-away is the early 2016 surge in GEO-centric keywords from AMC. Is this a sign of things to come? Will Regal Cinemas and Cinemark follow AMC in their PPC efforts? We will have to wait and see.

]]>http://www.afterclicks.com/amc-theatres-goes-local-with-new-ppc-marketing-strategy/feed0Ranking The Top Insurance Companies in PPC Marketinghttp://www.afterclicks.com/ranking-the-top-insurance-companies-in-ppc-marketing
http://www.afterclicks.com/ranking-the-top-insurance-companies-in-ppc-marketing#respondFri, 11 Mar 2016 16:32:11 +0000http://www.afterclicks.com/?p=700Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past 10 years, it’s almost impossible not to hear or see an Insurance commercial during the day or evening. However,… read more →]]>

Insurance Industry in PPC Marketing.

Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past 10 years, it’s almost impossible not to hear or see an Insurance commercial during the day or evening. However, what we may not recognize is the fact that some of these Insurance Companies apparently are “all over the place” when it comes to where decide to allocate those astronomical Advertising dollars. In this post, we will be focusing on PPC Marketing side of online advertising and you might be surprised not so much about the latest spending trends, but also which other “not so familiar” companies are pushing their way into the mix.

Let’s take a deeper dive.

As you can see above and below, (special thanks to SpyFu for their PPC Competitive Analysis Software) the Insurance Industry in the PPC world is a monster compared to others. Without it, I am sure that Google’s cafeteria would be serving hot dogs instead of Flank Steak with a side of Caviar. Putting “bitter” humor aside, the numbers are astounding. Each of these (3) competitors share over 239,000+ keywords and frankly these keywords are not cheap.

The High Cost Per Click of Insurance Keywords:

Here you will see the breakdown of the estimated CPCs (Cost-per-click) of these car insurance related terms. The reason for these high CPC’s is due to the fact that Google puts a value on terms that have a high return value. For example, the CPC for the term “coffee makers” is well under $2.00, while “car insurance rate quotes” is around $40-$50.

Insurance Company PPC Budget Comparison:

In this graph it’s not surprising to see StateFarm and Geico ahead of all of the others, however what is worth noting is the variance of these (2) companies over the 12-month cycle. StateFarm shows a gradual decline in PPC Spend, while Geico (and others) increase spend from October into the Winter/Spring months. Another interesting tidbit is the fact that another Insurance company (which is not as well known as others in this chart) is spending more than all of the others in PPC Marketing.